J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of both the J. P. Beaumont series and the Joanna Brady Series. She has written 40 novels and she has more than 10 million copies of her books in print. Visit her Web site: JAJance.com.

A Blog Update – Because It’s Friday and I feel Like It

I finished writing a book this week. That means I’m dealing with a moderate case of postpartum depression while I wait for the final set of edits to come in so they can be installed and sent off to my editor in New York on Monday. After last week’s storm, Monday is the first day my editor will actually be in her office. She’s been at home with power and internet, and with her kids as well, with no school to send them to. Sending her a manuscript this week would have been a waste of effort on both our parts.

But writers write. This particular writer is rather cranky when she’s not writing, and this is what’s in my heart today.

If you’re in the Seattle area within reach of KING 5 News, you may have seen yours truly on the tube in the past few days or in your election pamphlet doing a pitch for treating the job of voting seriously. In a mail-in election, having someone writing in Mickey Mouse’s name on a ballot is not a favor to anyone, and most especially not to the people charged with counting the votes.

You may be wondering how that happened. A few days before we were scheduled to leave town, someone called and asked me if I would be willing to help out with an election public service announcement. My answer? Well, duh!! Of course. Why? Because voting is IMPORTANT!!!

We live in a democracy. We have freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and, for someone who is a writer–freedom to write what we choose. Throughout out history, the costs of maintaining those precious freedoms have been paid for by the armed forces of this country. And what are the rest of us expected to do? We’re supposed to VOTE. Every second or fourth year, on election day, we’re supposed to put our collective heads together and decide these are the best men and women to put in charge of running our government. And, as Clint Eastwood would say, if they don’t do that job well enough, we should also put our collective heads together and fire them.

Regardless of which side of the political spectrum is yours, the truth of the matter is, approximately half the people in this country disagree with you.

I don’t know about you, but I’m more than a little tired of all the name calling and finger pointing. That’s so . . . well . . . grade-schoolish. So is tearing down yard signs and keying someone’s vehicle for having what someone chooses to regard as the “wrong” bumper sticker.

Let’s all grow up a little. Let’s all go vote. And then, win, lose, or draw, let’s roll up our sleeves and do all the things it’s going to take to keep all those cherished freedoms.